A Scare at the Lake
by Milady Montrose
Summary: One Shot. Pearl and Steven Universe go to the lake to watch some swans. It doesn't really go that well.


Steven set out first, eager to reach the lake early in the morning. There had been a swan sighting only yesterday, and Steven was hoping to strike gold today. The last sighting wasn't so long ago; he'd certainly see something interesting, he reasoned. Pearl has insisted on accompanying him, and the two were off.

The air was fresh and cold, and dew coated the blades of grass. They gently swiped at Steven as he waded through, depositing their cold water on his legs. Steven shivered, and hurried through the grass.

"Is something wrong, Steven?" asked Pearl, with a hint of urgency in her voice. She had noticed Steven's quicker pace.

"Nah." Said Steven. "I'm just getting a little wet." Steven turned around and grinned at Pearl, who returned a smile back.

The two reached the lake. So early in the morning, the lake loomed across the horizon as if it were made of molten iron. The surface was so still, Steven imagined he could prance across and not get wet.

"Don't get too close, Steven, you might fall in!" said Pearl, a few feet away.

Steven stopped. "I won't!" he sat patiently on the grassy banks as the sun rose.

No swans were on the lake at 8:00 am in the morning, nor at 10:00 am either. At this point in time, Steven unwrapped a peanut butter sandwich from his Cheeseburger Backpack and took a contemplative bite from it. "Pearl?"

"Yes, Steven?" asked Pearl.

"I can't see the other side of the lake…could you take a quick peek on the other side and see if there are any swans?" asked Steven, sounding a little sad.

Pearl gazed across the lake. The end of the lake was a bit fuzzy, and she did not think Steven would be able to see all the way across. Pearl concentrated; she saw black birds and gray birds and what she believed were 'Mallards', but no large white birds.

"Um." slipped out of Pearl.

Steven heard it, and his face drooped. Catching this, Pearl quickly rose to her feet. "Why don't I go look over there quickly? I'm sure there are some there today, they were there tomorrow…"

As Steven cheered, Pearl set out for the other side. She ran quickly, hoping to locate a swan, or similar bird, soon.

Steven watched her go. After a moment of staring at his feet, he decided that today would not be a total loss. He'd take some other birds' pictures!

Filled with new purpose, Steven arose, and quickly saw some black-flecked, grayish, small birds darting back and forth by the water's edge. Intrigued, he approached them slowly. Steven was not far from the shore, when he stepped forward, and the soft mud gave way beneath him.

Steven's heart spiked painfully, like Steven walked down stairs and missed a step. Steven sunk down to his knee in mud. This was so unexpected, Steven tried to backtrack without thinking. The mud sucked in the bottom of his shoe, resisting his action. Panicking, Steven wrenched backwards, and his foot tore loose.

One foot free, Steven pulled out the other, and retreated to safe ground.

When Pearl returned from her unsuccessful mission, she saw Steven lying on the grass, mud crusting his shoes and lower legs. "Steven! Did something happen?"

"I…I went to close to the shore…" The episode was quickly retold, and Pearl removed Steven from the dangerous terrain immediately.

Both went home in bad spirits. Pearl had insisted they leave, being spooked by the mud incident. Steven was too disheartened over the swans to really mind too much. As they walked near the park's mouth, Pearl said, "Steven?"

"Yes, Pearl?" Steven turned around.

Pearl gestured at the park map. "How would you like to go to a bird blind?"

Steven thought for a moment, before regaining his cheeriness and agreeing.

And so the next four hours were well-spent, watching Purple Martins, Red-breasted Nuthatches, Carolina Wrens and many more birds buzz merrily over the proffered bird feeders. Safely shielded from the line of sight of the birds, Steven took a litany of pictures to show the others, and happily chatted with Pearl as they walked back to the Beach House.

Pearl herself was feeling rather merry. She could recount all the successes of today in her mind: Steven got to see his birds, was happy-and! gave a nice warm hug to Pearl. She smiled all the way home.


End file.
